Howedes, who is currently the captain of the Bundesliga club, is a versatile player, who can play at centre-back or provide cover in the full-back positions, a role he successfully played for Germany; this makes him an attractive prospect for interested clubs.

The report claims that Arsene Wenger has had the defender watched a number of times and Louis van Gaal has also made it a priority to strengthen his defence after the end of the current campaign.

The German defender, who played a key role during Germany's World Cup triumph in 2014, is contracted to Schalke until the summer of 2017, but it is believed that a fee in the region of £14m will be enough to prise the defender away from his current employers.

Now the 26-year-old has admitted that he will prefer a move to England when he decides to leave the German club, as he cannot see himself playing for any other Bundesliga club apart from Schalke.

"If I am to leave Schalke one day, I do not want to move clubs within the Bundesliga," Howedes said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"Schalke is too close to my heart to do so. But a move abroad at a certain time would be worth an experience. England would be my goal," the World Cup winning defender added.